What is "ootheca"

Ootheca \O`["o]*the"ca\, n.; pl. O["o]thec[ae]. [NL., fr. Gr. w,'o`n an egg + ? a case.] (Zo["o]l.) An egg case, especially those of many kinds of mollusks, and of some insects, as the cockroach. Cf. O[oe]cium.

n. An egg case of any of the orthopteroid insects (such as cockroaches and mantids).

An ootheca (pl. oothecae ) is a type of egg mass made by any member of a variety of species (usually insects or mollusks).

The word is a Latinized combination of oo-, meaning "egg", from the Greek word ōon (cf. Latin ovum), and theca, meaning a "cover" or "container", from the Greek theke. Ootheke is Greek for ovary.

An ootheca usually contains many eggs surrounded by a foam of protein which may then harden into a tough casing for protection. Notable ootheca-making insects are the mantis and cockroach.